ALSACAT:

As its name suggests, ALSACAT is my comprehensive catalog of UFO sighting reports in Alsace, the region is the North-East of France, whether they are "explained" or "unexplained".

The ALSACAT catalog is made of case files with a case number, summary, quantitative information (date, location, number of witnesses...), classifications, all sources mentioning the case with their references, a discussion of the case in order to evaluate its causes, and a history of the changes made to the file. A general index and thematic sub-catalogs give access to these Alsatian case files.

Case of Bourtzwiller, on February 24, 1978:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1978-02-24-BOURTZWILLER-1

Summary:

The regional newspaper L'Alsace for February 25, 1978, had reported that there was a strong emotion the day before, February 24, 1978, at 7:15 p.m., for four people in a building in the street of Kaysersberg, in Mulhouse-Bourtzwiller.

They claimed to have seen a UFO in the sky.

These four people were taking the springtime air on their 3rd -floor balcony when, by their own description, a kind of big ball appeared, a bright orange ball. It was rotating, sometimes very bright, sometimes matt.

The object stopped above the cemetery, and then suddenly "disappeared" very quickly towards Illzach. The phenomenon lasted about five minutes.

The newspaper wondered if it was a UFO again, or a weather balloon illuminated by the setting sun and carried away by the wind.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:

February 24, 1978

Time:

~07:15 p.m.

Duration:

~5 minutes.

First known report date:

February 25, 1978

Reporting delay:

Hour, 1 day.

Geographical data:

Department:

Haut-Rhin

City:

Mulhouse

Place:

From a balcony on the 3rd floor of a building on rue de Kaysersberg in Bourtzwiller, UFO in the sky.

Latitude:

47.774

Longitude:

7.326

Uncertainty ratio:

300 m

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:

4

Number of known witnesses:

?

Number of named witnesses:

0

Witness(es) ages:

?

Witness(es) types:

Residents.

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:

The regional Press.

Type of location:

From a balcony on the 3rd floor of a suburb building, UFO in the sky.

Visibility conditions:

Night.

UFO observed:

Yes

UFO arrival observed:

Yes

UFO departure observed:

Yes

Entities:

No

Photographs:

No.

Sketch(s) by witness(es):

No.

Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):

No.

Witness(es) feelings:

Shocked or amazed.

Witnesses interpretation:

?

Classifications:

Hynek:

NL or DD

ALSACAT:

Unidentified.

Sources:

A UFO last evening in Bourtzwiller?

Strong emotion yesterday evening towards 7:15 p.m., for four residents of a building of the street of Kaysersberg, in Mulhouse-Bourtzwiller, who state they saw an unidentified flying object (UFO) in the sky.

These four people were taking the (springtime-like) air on their balcony of the thirs floor when, according to their own description, a kind of large ball appeared. An orange luminous balloon, which rotated, sometimes very shining, sometimes chechmate. The object stopped above the cemetery, then suddenly, disappeared, very fast, in direction of Illzach. The phenomenon reportedly lasted approximately five minutes. A UFO (one more) or a weather balloon illuminated by the setting sun and pulled by the wind?

At about 7:15 p.m., 4 residents of a building on Kaysersberg street, observed a large orange ball rotating on itself. The object stopped above the cemetery and disappeared in the direction of Illzach. The observation lasted about 5 mn.

Strong emotion yesterday evening towards 7:15 p.m., for four residents of a building of the street of Kaysersberg, in Mulhouse-Bourtzwiller, who state they saw an unidentified flying object (UFO) in the sky.

These four people were taking the (springtime-like) air on their balcony of the thirs floor when, according to their own description, a kind of large ball appeared. An orange luminous balloon, which rotated, sometimes very shining, sometimes chechmate. The object stopped above the cemetery, then suddenly, disappeared, very fast, in direction of Illzach. The phenomenon reportedly lasted approximately five minutes. A UFO (one more) or a weather balloon illuminated by the setting sun and pulled by the wind?

There is no source reference for this case, cited among other cases. There is simply, at the end of the article, a series of links to several ufology websites and web pages, including a link to the old URL of the home page of my own website.

Former journalist Christian Valentin published in 2012 a very interesting book telling the story of UFO sightings, flying saucers sightings, in Alsace, from the beginning to 1980.

In this book he tells that the sighting of Saturday, February 25, 1978, in Bourtzwiller, was published like this in the newspaper "L’ALSACE" for Sunday, February 26, 1978:

A UFO yesterday evening in BOURTZWILLER?

Strong emotion yesterday evening towards 7:15 p.m., for four residents of a building of the street of Kaysersberg, in Mulhouse-Bourtzwiller, who state they saw an unidentified flying object (UFO) in the sky.

These four people were taking the (springtime-like) air on their balcony of the thirs floor when, according to their own description, a kind of large ball appeared. An orange luminous balloon, which rotated, sometimes very shining, sometimes chechmate. The object stopped above the cemetery, then suddenly, disappeared, very fast, in direction of Illzach. The phenomenon reportedly lasted approximately five minutes. A UFO (one more) or a weather balloon illuminated by the setting sun and pulled by the wind?

Discussion:

Bourtzwiller is an old commune of Haut-Rhin integrated since 1947 in the commune of Mulhouse, of which it is the most populated of the sixteen districts.

"Rue de Kaysersberg" has many multi-storey buildings; it is hardly possible to find a more precise direction of observation than the disappearance towards the East-South-East. There is, unfortunately, no angle of elevation, no angular size. So, a balloon - as suggested by the newspaper and silenced by LDLN - or an extraterrestrial craft?

Evaluation:

Unidentified.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.